HW Recap: Strong start, but weak finish

It was a week of direct contrasts for the Habs,
2 good efforts, with 2 others that were lacking. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs,
led by Carey Price, swept a pair of games in Manitoba and are contending for 2nd
in the division. Stats Central takes a closer look at some of the lesser
talked about prospects, while the Final Thought takes a look at the tough guy
situation. This, plus the weekly grades, in the Recap.

Player
Grades

The ratings:8.5 – 10: Player has exceeded
expectations for the week, very strong contributions.6.5 – 8: Player has met expectations
for the week, play has helped or at worse, not hurt the lineup.5 – 6: Player has performed below
expectations for the week, play has at best not hurt the team, but likely has
had a negative affect.Under 4.5: Player has had a week to
forget, questions should soon be arising about his future with the organization.

Goalies:

#39 – Cristobal Huet: 7.0
He did have a shutout, but he also allowed 5 goals in a game not just once but
twice. (Season Average:
7.72)

In the Habs coverage we provide here at
Habsworld.net, we tend to focus solely on the Habs and Bulldogs. This
week, we take a look at the pro prospects that aren’t with those teams, as we
focus in on the ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones. (Includes all
players that have either played with the Bulldogs this season, are on an AHL
two-way deal, or were recently drafted by the Habs.)

Name

GP

G

A

PTS

+/-

PIM

PPG

SHG

David Desharnais

38

12

37

49

20

10

3

1

Thomas Beauregard

41

21

22

43

10

21

6

0

Mathieu Aubin

23

11

8

19

10

32

3

0

Gerard Miller

28

3

14

17

14

30

0

0

Cory Urquhart

15

8

4

12

4

18

2

0

Conrad Martin

31

2

8

10

18

68

1

0

Jon Gleed

11

0

4

4

4

22

0

0

Jimmy Bonneau

7

0

1

1

2

26

0

0

Alexandre Dulac-Lemelin

3

0

0

0

-1

4

0

0

Name

GP

Mins

GA

SO

GAA

W

L

OTL

SOL

SA

SVS

%

Cedrick Desjardins

18

1045

35

4

2.01

12

4

1

1

503

468

.930

In other news, former Bulldog and Habs prospect
Michael Lambert signed on this week with the Alaska Aces, just in case anyone
was wondering where he’s playing now.

Final
Thought

The events of Sunday afternoon make this an
interesting topic to discuss, and that is toughness and to be more precise, a
tough guy in particular. Personally speaking, and I appear to be in the
minority here, I don’t think the team needs a pseudo-goon like a Jody Shelley
who was dealt this week, or to bring back a player like Aaron Downey, who is on
the fringe in Detroit. The problem with these types of players is that
they can’t play 10-12 minutes a game, which is what even the lowest forward on
the totem pole gets in Guy Carbonneau’s system. And, how many times do
these types of players get regular shifts in the playoffs? Looking at some
of the goons on playoff teams from last season, Brian McGrattan and Andrew
Peters never dressed for a single game, while George Parros, on the league’s
"toughest" team, only saw 5 games en route to a Cup title. These players
may be nice to have, but quite frankly, I just don’t see a fit.